Tuesday, November 08, 2005

It isn't too hard to read between the lines of this article in the Tehran Times, castigating Muslim countries for diplomatic and trade relations with Israel. I don't think that the timing of the anti-Israel screed from Iran's president was a coincidence, coming on the heels of Israel's improved relations with Arab and Muslim countries. Since Iran sees its unending battle with Zionism as a zero-sum game, it stands to reason that each Israeli success isolates Iran a little more.

This explains the hysteria we are seeing from Iran. Of course, when a crazy person is cornered, that is when he becomes most dangerous.

This article is also amusing in the backhanded compliments that the author ends up giving Israel.

Trading with the enemy

By Behnam Elmi
Following the recent withdrawal of Israeli military forces from the Gaza Strip, several economically weak countries began seeking opportunities to solve their economic problems by paving the way for establishing relations with the Zionist regime.

According to unconfirmed reports, a group of Indonesian diplomats traveled to Israel last month for talks on establishing relations with the Zionists. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono even announced on October 13 that bilateral relations between Israel and Indonesia were to the benefit of the Palestinians.

On the sidelines of the 60th summit of the world’s foreign ministers held at the United Nations in New York last summer, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda met Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

In addition, it is quite significant that high-ranking officials of some Islamic and Arab countries, including Pakistan and Qatar, met high-ranking Zionist officials such as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Shalom at the United Nations summit of world leaders held in New York in September. So, the recent world summit had actually been turned into a festival for opportunist Islamic officials to seek their own national interests and to try to solve their economic problems, in one way or another, however wrongheadedly.

After the 1997 economic crisis in Southeast Asia, Indonesia’s economic boom came to a grinding halt, and the country never found an opportunity to return to its glory days of economic prosperity.

Also, in comparison with neighboring countries, Pakistan has never been very successful in attracting foreign investment and activating its own economy, and has always had a low Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an out-of-date economic model, and a high poverty rate.

In the competitive economic atmosphere of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, some developing Islamic countries failed to keep pace with other countries. A modern economic system requires the opening of all gates of the economy and attraction of foreign investment as the necessary stimuli for economic growth. Along these lines, certain countries tried to take advantage of the current political atmosphere in the Middle East and approached the Zionist regime, particularly after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

On the other hand, the Zionist regime, thanks to the support of Western countries and particularly the United States, has achieved considerable economic growth since its establishment and has become a gravy train for these opportunistic Islamic countries because of its political limitations in the region and the rest of the Islamic world.

The Zionist regime has actually served as a model for Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey. By establishing relations with the Zionist regime, Turkey has not only been supported by Israel but is also enjoying the full backing of Western countries.

Other Islamic countries will probably follow the same process. For example, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has recently expressed his willingness to meet Sharon.

However, it should be noted that some Islamic countries are well aware of both the Zionist regime’s unstable status in the Islamic world and Israel’s need to normalize relations with countries in the Middle East. Therefore, taking advantage of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, they are trying to attract the capital of the Zionist lobby by supporting the foreign policy of Israel.

Although no country can dictate the foreign policy of other countries, due to the religious customs of the Islamic world, all relations and meetings should be in accordance with the interests of Islamic communities and particularly the oppressed Islamic communities. Thus, all the recent meetings with Zionist officials being held in the name of supporting the Palestinian nation are against the causes of the Islamic world.

The economic systems of these countries are closed. Therefore, it is quite obvious that relying on a trickle of Zionist foreign investment would not only fail to cure their economic malady but would also tarnish the image of these countries in the eyes of other Muslim nations and would certainly increase the problems of the Islamic world.

From MEMRI : Jordanian businessman Talal Abu Ghazaleh said that there was an “easy solution” to the Palestinian problem: “Let every Pal...

Hasbys!

Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون

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